Nakuru

Posted Fri Nov 22 16:41:00 EAT 2013

It's dream come true for Maasai moran who uses Internet to study

Mr Sopia Luca demonstrates to a tourist how a to use an e-book reader at the college where he is an IT lecturer. The Maasai moran took the advantage of free Internet access to study a tour guide course as he could not afford to raise the fees required. His quest to further his studies, has seen him pursue a higher diploma course online. He is now a member of the Kenya Professional Safari Guides Association. PHOTO/CHEBET CAROLINE

By CHEBET CAROLINE

In Summary

Mr Sopia is one of the few people who have saved a lot using the available resources to makes ends meet.

After completing his form four, like many other students who face similar situations, he lacked fees to join college.

One time while taking around some tourists, one of them asked him if he would be interested in taking up an Information Technology course through a 6 month sponsorship.

He found himself studying at his free time and researching from the Internet.

His quest to further his studies, has seen him pursue a higher diploma course while doing his multiple jobs.

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At only 24, Mr Sopia Luka might have achieved what many of his fellow Maasai morans of his age still perceive as the wildest dreams to achieve.

He is an online student, an IT lecturer a tour guide and a researcher all rolled in one.

Clad in his Maasai traditional attire, the IT expert who took an online tour guide course after mastering how to make use of a computer is not afraid to reveal that four years ago, a computer was alien to him.

While undertaking Information Technology course at a college where he was given a 6 month scholarship, Sopia Luka took the advantage of the free Internet and studied his dream course online.

Mr Sopia is one of the few people who have saved a lot using the available resources to makes ends meet.

By training online, he saved a total of Sh80, 000, the amount he could have parted with so as to get a tour guide course.

After completing his form four, like many other students who face similar situations, he lacked fees to join college.

He took up a contract as an untrained community guide, a job which he said he had always dreamed of.

PROFESSIONAL TOUR GUIDE

“But I had always wanted to become a professional, a tour guide whose work and contribution to the society would be recognised”, he said.

One time while taking some tourists around, one of them asked him if he would be interested in taking up an Information Technology course through a 6 month sponsorship.

“My response was a quick yes. It was like a dream to a young moran thirsty for education and eager to even see a computer leave alone touch it,” he said.

For six months, Sopia studied Information at the Tennessee Institute of Information and Technology in Elburgon area of Nakuru under a scholarship programme.